County commissioner: Olney will face incumbent Smith in November

Incumbent Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith will face Democratic challenger Jim Olney in the November election.

Incumbent Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith will face Democratic challenger Jim Olney in the November election.

Olney, executive director of the Jackson County Library Foundation, received 8,637 votes, or 50 percent, in early returns. John Morrison, mayor of Ashland, had 5,614 votes — 32 percent. Scott Keith, former manager of an outdoor sporting goods store in Medford, earned 2,786 votes, or 16 percent of those counted.

Incumbent Smith, first elected in 2005, withstood a primary challenge from Gold Hill resident Morris "Bub" Saltekoff, according to the Jackson County Clerk's office.